The Unsung Heroes of Maine Winters: Maine’s Firewood Banks

Having a woodstove is as awesome as it gets.

I love them so much, we have two in my house. We have one upstairs, and there's one down in the finished part of the basement. When it super cold in the winter, like when an especially cold snap rolls through, I'll get both stove going. Up and down... Once they really get rolling, my house becomes the coziest place on Earth.

I'm sure most people with woodstoves feel the same way. I never grew up with one, but the second I was able to have one in my home, I never looked back. A lot of Mainers however, may own woodstoves but can't always afford a decent supply of wood to see them the whole way through. Luckily, there are folks out there who get this, and want to help out their fellow Mainers.

You could use the services of a firewood bank/pantry.

It's kind of like the way a food pantry works, except they bring you firewood instead. And there are a ton of options around Maine. There's the Downeast Wood Bank, they're a non-profit that hooks up folks in Blue Hill, Brooklin, Ellsworth, Lamoine, Sedgwick, Surry, and Trenton.

There's also the Waldo County Woodshed. They buy wood from local loggers and help get it to those in need. Then there's The Woodchucks. They're a chainsaw group that harvest firewood around Maine and gets it to people in need for free. Plus, there's Cumberland Woodbank, and the Midcoast Woodbank.

There are many more around Maine.

The UMaine Cooperative Extension also offers a multitude of resources to connect those in need with firewood. It also has tools to train you to start your own woodbank, as well as networking opportunities for people to get more involved in woodbanks. Obviously, there are people in need out there,  and it's great these resources exist.

Most Mainers are proud people, and are often hesitant to ask for any kind of assistance. But if these folks are going to all this trouble to get you warm, you might as well use these resources if you need them. The only pride someone should feel in these moments, is the pride of keeping your family warm by any means possible. that's definitely something to be proud of.